Feeding mechanism.



G. J. FANGHER.

FEEDING MEOHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPTA, 1912.

1,077,266. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

M KL" y WI T NESSES:

A TTORNEYS.

, UNITED strarns PATENT EC, A

CHARLES J. FANCHER, OF THOMPSONVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE EXTEN- SIVE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FEEDING MEGHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 4, 1912. Serial No. 718,599. 5

mechanism for feeding units arranged in strip formation and perforated for detachment one from another, and'consists essen tially of certain peculiar separating memhere for such units and of a certain safety stop member for the same, such members being arranged and adapted to cooperate with other feeding members which include gripping jaws and an operating plunger for the same, all as hereinafter set forth.

This feeding mechanism is designed especially for use as a substitute for and an auxiliary to certain of the mechanism set forth in my application for United States Letters Patent, filed J nne 21, 1911, and serially numbered 634,395.

The object of my invention is to provide simplified feed-mechanism for a machine,

such as a stamp aiiixer, and to provide mech-.

anism whereby or wherewith the complete and positive separation of the unlts 1s 1nsured at every active or operatlve cycle of the mechanism, and absolute security against.

surreptitious removal of the units maintamed.

Heretofore some difliculty has been experienced in producing feeding mechanism for stamp aliixers and the like, which could be depended on to separate the leading unit'or stamp from the remainder of the strip with absolute certainty, at the proper time and in the proper manner. It has been found also that, by manipulating the gripping jaws of the mechanism or machine, to which this invention is particularly related, so as to partially draw the leading stamp out of the feeding mechanism, then inserting a knife and severing the part of the stamp that is in the grip of said jaws from the rest of said stamp and permitting said jawsto complete their cycle, and'the operating plunger therefor to complete its down'strolre and return to initial pos1tion,the part of the severed stamp that is attached to the strip can be grasped and the entire strip or roll, or so much of the. same as remains in the machine, can be illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein certain portions of a stamp aiiixer are shown and a preferred embodiment of the invention is represented in connection therewith, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan of certain portions of the feeding mechanism; Fig. 2, a bottom plan of the hanger and connected parts shown in the preceding View; Fig. 3, a side elevation of tlie'me'chanism shown in Fig. 1,

. the sides of the hanger and trough which are next to the beholder being removed, excepting a fragmentof thefhanger side at the front end; Fig: 4, a generally similar view to Fig. 3,.but' here the bottoms of the hanger and-trough are sectioned through the center, the strip-engaging jaws are in section, and

two of said jaws are disposed in inoperative position; 'Fig. 5,'a side elevation inpartial section of the stamp-separating members and the safety device, lncluding the locking and operating members therefor which are carriedand actuated by the plunger, there being shown in this view, also, a portion of'the plunger, the gripping jaws, and aportion of the mcistener, and said gripping jaws and moistener together with the passagewayforming parts forthe stamps being in section, and, Fig. 6, a side elevation and partial Patented Nov. 4,1913.

section of the same members shown in Fig.

5, but in this View the operating'members being disposed differently from their disposition in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5 the stamps are under the control of the safetydevice and the mechanism is initially disposed in readiness to begin its cycle of operation,and in Fig. 6 the mechanism is shown while in the act of drawing a stamp between the separator members and just before the separation takes place, the stamps here being released from the. safety device or having been released thereby. In'this last View, Fig. 6 the gripping jaws are 1 represented by dotted lines in the position which they assume after having brought about the severance of the stamp and released the same.

Although I have represented this particu lar feeding mechanism in connection with the feeding mechanism or as the feeding mechanism of a stamp afliXer, it is to be understood that the same may be employed in connection with machines for handling other units which are arranged in perforated-strip formation; and it is to be understood, furthermore, that I do not desire or intend to be restricted, in matters of shape, size, construction or arrangement of some or all of the parts, to what is herein shown and described, inasmuch as more or less change in some or all of these particulars may be required in order to adapt the mechanism to different machines or for different purposes.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Before proceeding with the description in detail of the new elements of my inven tion, I will explain briefly the old elements used in connection therewith, or the elements which will be found in the application to which reference has hereinbefore been made.

To provide a guide or passageway for a stamp strip, a hanger 1. and a trough or tray 2 are employed as before. In the bottom of the hanger 1, in the center, is a slot 3, arranged parallel with the sides of said hanger, and at one side of such slot is a shorter slot 4 while in front of said slot 3, but arranged at right angles thereto, is a slot 5. The tray 2 is supported here, as in the other case, in such away as to leave a clear space or passageway 41 between the bottom of said tray and the bottom of the hanger 1. The slot 3 is for the accommodation of a pawl 6, which prevents backward displacement of the strip in the aforesaid passageway, and of a member of the counting mechanism, which member is not herein shown, but the supporting arm for which appears at 7 in Fig. 1, although the forward portion of said arm is broken off. At 8 appears a latch which is one of the members by means of which the tray 2 is held in place on the hanger 1. The hanger 1 is provided with two spindles 9 and 10, and it is upon the rear spindle or the spindle 10, upon which the pawl 6 and the arm 7 are mounted, and upon which is, also, mounted a lifter 11. At 12 appears a spring for the pawl 6, at 13 a spring for the arm 7, and at 14 a spring for the lifter 11 and for a safety device which will subsequently be described.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I show a fragment of the backside of a casing at 15, and to this is pivoted at 16 one of a pair of arms 17, which carry at their lower or rear ends an under gripping jaw 18. Pivotally connected at 19 to the arm 17, is one of a pair of arms 20 which carry at their rear or lower terminals an upper gripping jaw 21. The lower terminal of an operating plunger is represented at 22, and a link 23 is pivotally connected at its upper end with said plunger, and at its lower end with the jaw 21 or the arm 20, there being one of such links for each of such arms. There is a cross-head 24 on the backside of the plunger 22 with which the links 23 are directly con nected. @ne of a pair of rollers 25 is represented as being mounted on a pin 26 set in the cross-head 24:, which. roller operates in a vertical slot 2? in the side 15 of the casing.

At 28 is a moistener for the stamps, the

same consisting of a wick set in the front end of a water reservoir 29.

The parts and members thus far described are substantially the same in construction and operation as corresponding parts in the other case, and need no fuller description or explanation than that which is given above and which will appear in connection with the description of the construction and operation of the new elements, which description will now be taken up.

The feeding mechanism, in the present case, may be divided into a separating device or devices for the units or stamps and a safety device or protector for said units or stamps as hereinbefore intimated. The first of these devices comprises cooperating frontand rear jaws of) and 31, respectively, with the supporting parts and operating mechanism therefor, and the second of such devices comprises a aw 32, together with the supporting parts and operating mechanism therefor. The aw 30 has serrations or teeth 33 on its rear edge and the jaw 31 has serrations or teeth 34 on its front edge, the two sets of teeth cooperating with each other in a manner presently to be explained. The teeth 33 extend the entire length of the rear edge of the jaw 30 and preferably are arranged so that their points would touch the arc of a circle if struck with a very large diameter. There is only a comparatively limited number of teeth 34 and these are arranged in the middle of the front edge of the jaw 31 and so positioned relative to the teeth 33 that the two sets of teeth might mesh with each other and, in fact, do mesh with each other under certain conditions and during certain operations of the mechanism, as in the absence of a stamp strip and when the 30 is swung into operative position relative to said jaw 31. The teeth 34 have an upward inclination. The object of thus providing and arranging the teeth 33' and 3a is to insure the engagement of the perforated portions of the stamp strip with one set of teeth or the other so that there can be no failure to separate the stamps. If one set of teeth fails to enter the perforations in the stamp strip the other set will not so fail, owing to the ofiset relationship of the two sets of teeth, as is clearly apparent. As a matter of fact, some of both sets of teeth almost invariably enter the perforations in each case. It has been found that by engaging central portions of'the perforated parts, rather than portions adjacent to the edges of such parts, the separation is more easily and surely effected and there is no liability of tearing the stamps; to this end, therefore, the teeth 33 collectively are given an arcuate forma tion and the teeth 34 are located in the center of the jaw 31, hence opposite the rearmost teeth 33.

The jaw 30 is situated at the left-hand or front ends of the hanger 1 and tray 2 and is supported by two arms 35 which have their right-hand or rear ends mounted on the spindle 9. Two springs 36 are so arranged on the spindle 9 relative to the arms 35 as normally to press said arms clownwardly until they rest 'on the floor of the hanger l. The jaw 3O is provided on the bottom below the front edge thereof with a rib 37. Said jaw 30 is arranged to extend into the path of the gripping aw 21. Both jaws 30 and 31 when in contiguity position their teeth directly over and adjacent to the moistener 28, as shown in Fig. 6, and the jaw 31 is always in position quite near to said mo-istener. The purpose of the rib 37 is, to receive the. thrust from the gripping jaw 21 when it rises, and so prevents the foremost stamp from being caught between said jaw and the jaw 30, as will subsequently be more clearly explained.

Depending from'the cross-head 24 is a rigid finger 38 which is arranged to descend with the plunger 22 in front of the forward end or head of one of the arms 35, when the latter is in its downward position, and so locks said arm together with its companion arm and the jaw 30 in their low or operative position.

The jaw 31 is supported at the bottom by two arms 39 whichv latter are pivotally mounted at 40-40 to the sides of the hanger 1, adjacent to the front ends of such sides, the floor of the tray2 being cut away at the front end, as shown at 56 in Fig. 3, to accommodate such arms. The arms 39 support the jaw 31 below the bottom of the tray 2, and are so arranged as to project the teeth 34 a little in advance of the vertical plane of the front or exit end of the passageway 41. One of the arms 39 is extended upwardly into and through a slot 42 in the overhanging part of the hanger l on the same side. The arm extension just referred to is represented at 43 and said extension is normally held against the rear end of the slot 42 by means of a spring 44 mounted 'on the pivot 40 which supports said extension with its arm 39. As just stated the spring '44 is arranged to bear the extension 43 rearwardly against the inner end ofv the slot 42, consequently the jaw 31 is thrust forwardly to present its teeth normally in the position previously noted and to maintain them in such position. l Vhen, however, the stamp is drawn down in front of the teeth 34 and between such teeth and the teeth 33, the

spring 44 yields and permits the extension 43 and the arms 39 to swing on their pivots 40 and the jaw 31 to move rearwardly thereby relieving the pressure of said teeth 34 on said stamp and preventing tearlng, cutting or scratching the same. The sprlng 44 is light enough, of course, to enable it to yield readily and freely under the pressure or Zte-nsion of the stamp.

fforations between such stamp and the one following, which they do in case such perforated parts are ever drawn into engage- .ment with such teeth when down. The jaw 32 with its teeth 45 operate through the slot 5 in the bot-tom of the hanger 1, and the bottom of the trough! 2 is provided with indentations 46, which correspond in number with said teeth and are so located as to receive the points of said teeth when said jaw is depressed, thus enabling said teeth more firmly and securely to grip the stamp strip should occasion require. The jaw 32 is carried at the forward ends of a pair of arms'47 which are mounted on the spindle 9 inside of the arms 35. Rising from one of the arms 47 is an upwardly and forwardly projecting extension 48 which is provided at its free end with a socket 49, and extending downwardly and rearwardly from the same arm into the path of the lifter 11 is an extension or tail-piece 50. The tailpiece 50 is provided on its upper or rear edge with a lip 51 and the spring 14 has one terminal inserted beneath such lip and thereby causes a downward pressure to be ex-- arm 53 for the safety jaw 32. The free terminal of the arm 53 or the bottom terminal thereof is inserted in the socket 49,

and the front edge of said arm extends forwardly into the path of the roller 25, which roller has sutlicientlv wide periphery to engage such edge as Well as the edges of the slot 27. It is apparent that when the plunger 22 descends the roller 25 encounters the arm 53 and rocks the same rearwardly on its pivot 52, thereby swinging up the extension 48, by reason of the loose connection between the free end of said arm and the socket 49, and raising the arms A7 and the jaw 32.

A stamp strip is represented at 54 in Figs. 5 and 6, such strip being in the passageway 41 in each view.

Having described in detail the construction of the feeding mechanism, 1 will proceed to explain in a similar manner the operation of the same as a whole.

It is first necessary to introduce the stamp strip 5 1 into the guide or passageway 41, and in order to do this and to advance said strip so that the forward end thereof will project some little distance beyond the front end of said passageway the latter must be cleared. This is done by rocking the lifter 11, by means of its handle 55, against the resiliency of the spring let in such a way as to raise the pawl (3 and the safety jaw 32 out of the passageway. The aw 32 is swung upwardly out of the passageway A1 when the bottom of the lifter 11 encounters the upper or rear edge of the tail-piece 50 and so depresses such tail-piece also against the resiliencv of the spring 1 1. At this point it should be observed, perhaps, that the spring 14 is much stronger than the springs 12 and 18 combined, otherwise the lifter 11 would be under the influence of the two last-mentioned springs instead of under that of the first-mentioned spring, inasmuch as the two weaker springs have terminals bearing on the rear edge of the bottom of said lifter. The strip 54 is now introduced into the passageway 1-1 at the righthand or rear end of the same and pushed ahead until it projects beyond the front end of said passageway and between the gripping jaws 18 and 21, which are in their elevated position and open to receive the forward portion of such strip-see Fig. As soon as the strip 54 is in place the lifter 11 is released and the several parts upheld by said lifter are thereby returned to operative position in the passageway 41. At this time the aw 30 is held up against the resiliency of the springs 36 in its most elevated position and entirely out of the way of the strip 54, while the jaw 32 is in engaging position relative to said strip and with the teeth 41-5 ready to hook into the first row of perforations therein, so that it would be impossible to draw the strip much farther forward without tearing off the leading stamp, leaving the remainder of the strip behind, it being remembered that said jaw was lowered into such position when the lifter 11 was released. The plunger 22 is next depressed and through the medium of the links 23 first closes the gripping jaw 21 'on to the gripping jaw 18 with the foremost stamp of the strip 54 between them, and then swings both of said aws downwardly until they have severed the stamp, carried it to the proper position for deposit and opened again to release same. As the jaw 21 descends the aw 30 swings down with said firstanentioned jaw until the teeth 33 come into contact with the stamp which is in the grasp of the gripping jaws and being drawn downward and forward by them. Although the safety aw 32 is now bearing on the foremost stamp, the spring 1 1 is not strong enough or the force exerted thereby through said jaw is not sufficient to cause the teeth 15 to injure said stamp. The stamp is now carried down by the still moving gripping jaws over the moistener and between the juxtaposed teeth 33 and 34 until the first line of perforations, having been permitted to pass by the teeth 45, arrives at such teeth 33 and 34, when the latter enter such perforations and hold back the remainder of the strip, while the gripping jaws tear away the forward stamp and at the same time cause. it to be moistened by drawing the stamp over the moistener 28 with the adhesive side of said stamp next to said moistener. After this the stamp is deposited and affixed by means not herein shown. The jaw 30 is held in the operative position just described by means of the finger 38 so that such jaw cannot yield under pressure from the stamp but the jaw 31 can and does yield when said jaw 30 is brought down into contact with a stamp in the manner and for the purpose already set forth, and said jaw 31 may'rock forward slightly to enter the perforations. Immediately after the gripping jaws close on the stamp and begin to draw the strip 54 forward, the roller 25 encounters the arm 53 and through the medium of such arm and intervening parts raises the jaw 32 out of the passageway 41. In this manner the passageway 41 is cleared for the advancement of the stamp strip and the passage of the jaw 32 by the first line of perforations. The roller 25 quickly passes below and clears the arm 53, and the spring 1% acts to restore said jaw to operative position. The pawl 6 has no effect on the strip 5% when it advances, serving only as a check to prevent retrograde movement on the part of such strip. Upon the return or upward stroke of the plunger 22, the finger 38 passes away from and unlocks the arm 35 with which it was in engagement and so releases the jaw 30. The gripping jaws 18 and 21 rise and the latter first encounters the rib 37 and begins to elevate the jaw 30. During this time the exposed portion of the strip or the now most advanced stamp thereof projects in part beyond the front end of the passageway 41 and this projecting portion is encountered by both the jaws 30 and 21 as they rise, but they both pass above such portion without affect ing the same in any way; This exposed end.

and without practical efl ect because the strip is not being advanced at the time, N ever is the stamp strip without the protection afforded by said jawv 32 except when it is? within the grasp andprotection of the jaws l 30 and 31, it being understood that the mechanism is so inclosed in the case or casing that access to the lifter 11 cannot be had by an unauthorized person.

Either the separater jaws are in position or the safety jaw;

is in position to stop the strip at the firstj row of perforations and so prevent more: than one stamp at a time from being ,re-}

moved. The strip is inaccessible and cannot g be manipulated only by the proper mocha-t nism and in the proper manner.

. In closing it maybe well to call attention to the fact that the first four views are drawn on a scale which is larger than is that of the actual mechanism represented, and that the last two views are on a considerably smaller scale than the aforesaid first four views.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Feeding mechanismcomprising a guide for a flexible perforated strip of units, a horizontal serrated jaw positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, a second horizontal serrated jaw independent of the first and mounted to oscillate adjacent to said place of exit, and means to move said second jaw downward into operative relation to said first-mentioned aw and upward .out'of such relation.

2. Feeding mechanism comprising a guide for a flexible perforated strip of units, a horizontal serrated jaw positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide and adapted to yield rearwardly under pressure from one of said units, a second horizontal serrated jaw independent of the first and mounted to oscillate adjacent to said place of exit, and means to move said second jaw downward into operative relation to said,

first-mentioned aw and upward out of such relation.- I

3. Feeding mechanism comprising a guide for a flexible perforated strip of units, a horizontal serrated jaw positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, a second horizontal serrated jaw independent of the first mounted to oscillate adjacent to said place of exit, and having the points of its teeth arranged in the arc of a circle, and means-to move said second jaw downward into oeerative relation to said first-mentioned jaw and upward-out of such relation.

l. Feeding mechanism comprising a guide fora flexible perforated strip of units, a horizontal jaw provided with centrally located teeth and positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, a second horizontal serrated jaw independent of the first and mounted to oscillate adjacent to such place of exit, and means to move-such second jaw downward into operative relation to said first-mentioned jaw and upward out of such position.

5. Feeding mechanism comprising a guide for a flexible perforated strip of units, a horizontal jaw provided with centrally located teeth and positioned adjacent ,to the place of exit from said guide, a second horizontal jaw independent of the first mounted to oscillate adjacent to such place of exit, and provided with teeth arranged with their points in the arc of a circle, and means to move said second jaw downward into operative relation to said first-mentioned jaw and upward out of such relation. 7

6. Feeding mechanism compriSingaguide for afiexible perforated strip of units, a horizontal serrated jaw positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, a second horizontal serrated jaw independent of the first and mounted to oscillate adjacent to said place of exit, the teeth of the two jaws being ofi'setrelative to eachother, and means to move said second aw downward into operative relation to said first-mentioned jaw and upward out of such relation. I I

7. Feeding mechanism comprising a guide for a flexible perforated strip of units, a horizontal serrated jaw positioned adjacent to theplace of exit from said jaw, a second horizontal serrated guide mounted to oscillate relative to such place of exit, said second jaw having an upwardly-extending member, means to move said second jaw downward lintooperative relation to the first and upward out of such relation, and means to engage said upwardly-extending member to lock saidsecond jaw in position during the time it is in operative relation to said first-mentioned jaw.

8. The combination, in feeding mechanism for a flexible perforated strip of units, with a guide for such strip, and unitsseparating jaws suitably mounted to cooperate with each other adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, of suitably mounted gripping jaws adapted to grasp the strip by its foremost unit and draw the latter between said separating jaws, and thereby to sever said unit from the remainder of the strip. I r

9. The combination, in feeding mechanism saic gripping jaws are acting to advance and sever said foremost unit.

10. The combination, in feeding mechanism for a flexible perforated strip of units, with a guide for such strip, and gripping jaws for such strip, of a unit-separating jaw positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, and a second unit-separating jaw also positioned adjacent to such place of exit and spring-pressed toward such first-mentioned separating jaw, said second separating jaw extending into the path of one of said gripping jaws.

11. The combination, in feeding mechanism for a flexible perforated strip of units, with a guide for such strip, and gripping jaws for such strip, of a unit-separating jaw positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, and a second unit-sepa rating jaw also positioned adjacent to such place of exit and spring-pressed toward said first-mentioned separating jaw, said second separating jaw extending into the path of one of said gripping jaws and being provided on the underside with a projection to receive the initial thrust from said gripping jaw that operates said second separating jaw.

12. The combination, in feeding mechanism, for a flexible perforated strip of units, with a guide for such strip, suitably mounted gripping jaws for such strip, and an operating plunger for such gripping jaws, of a serrated unit-separating jaw positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, a second serrated unit-separating jaw also positioned adjacent to such place of exit and spring-pressed toward said first-mew tioned separating jaw, said second separating jaw extending into the path of one of said gripping jaws, and a finger carried by said plunger and adapted to lock said second separating jaw in operative position cent to said guide and spring pressed into i the path of said strip, a suitably mounted operating arm for said safety jaw, and means carried by said plunger to actuate said arm when said plunger descends and causes said safety jaw to be temporarily removed from the path of the strip.

14. The combination, in feeding mechanism for a flexible strip of units, with a guide for such strip, and a lifter mounted above said guide, of a suitably mounted gripping jaw spring pressed into the path of said strip, said jaw being provided with a tail-piece which extends into the path of said lifter for the purpose of enabling said jaw to he removed from said path by said lifter.

15. Feeding mechanism comprising a guide for a flexible perforated strip of units, engaging means for the perforated portions of such strip, means to advance such strip and draw the same through such separating means, and means to hold back the strip and prevent the same from advancing except at predetermined intervals which correspond with the action of said advancing and drawing means during certain stages of the movement thereof.

16. Feeding mechanism comprising a guide for a flexible perforated strip of units, unit-separating jaws positioned adjacent to the place of exit from said guide, means adapted to draw said strip through said guide and between said separator jaws and to cause the foremost unit to be separated by said separator jaws, a safety jaw normally positioned in the path of said strip, and means to remove said safety jaw from such path at the time said strip is being advanced.

CHARLES J. FANCHER.

Witnesses: v

H. S. PARMELEE, F. A. CUTTER,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

